Toyota to fix 1.7 million vehicles in two separate recalls

Toyota will fix about 1.7 million vehicles globally in two separate recalls over defective fuel pipes and high-pressure fuel pumps, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday, drawing renewed attention to the quality of the company's products.

The decision to call back the vehicles follows promises by Toyota to be swifter in addressing problems in its products after it drew criticism for having been slow to react to previous defects.

The recall over faulty fuel pipes affects about 1.2 million units of the RAV4, Noah, Voxy and other models in Japan and about 140,000 units of the Avensis model in Europe, manufactured between 2000 and 2008, said Shiori Hashimoto, a spokeswoman for Toyota in Tokyo, New York Times.

Also Wednesday, Toyota conducted a global recall targeting faulty fuel pipes and fuel check valves. That action affects 1.34 million vehicles, but none in North America.

Toyota said there have been no accidents related to any of the recall-related problems.

About 1.2 million of the vehicles in the second recall were sold in Japan, including the RAV4 SUV and the Voxy and Noah minivans. About 135,000 vehicles are in Europe, mostly the Avensis sedan and wagon manufactured at Toyota's plant in Britain.

A design flaw in those vehicles means that fuel pipes may develop cracks and leak. Some of the vehicles also have faulty check valves meant to prevent the reverse flow of fuel, AutoWeek reports.